Washington Wizards' Future Outlook
The Wizards are in a bit of a conundrum. They have over $70 million committed to a back court, which at its' best is at least the third or fourth best in the league. But with John Wall missing a year and a half and the Wizards having three more seasons with him on the books at least $37 million per season, cap trouble is what this franchise faces. That's not even mentioning Bradley Beal, who is playing at an All-Star level, but he's the only Wizard who is being highly productive. And he's battled injuries. The point is, while they are both under 30 years old still, Wall is aging fast and Beal is likely to waste his prime with the Wizards not having much flexibility. How can they change things? Here's a short and long-term outlook for the Wizards.
WHO'S GONE: C Ian Mahinmi, F Davis Bertans, PG Shabazz Napier, PG Gary Payton
Good news, Wizards' fans! Ian Mahinmi's 4 year, $64 million contract is coming off of the books! The bad news is, John Wall and Bradley Beal both have contracts that will make it highly unlikely that much improvement can happen via free agency. And the Wizards are also likely going to lose Bertans, who has been the second best player on this slightly better than expected team behind Bradley Beal. At least you likely won't be in the luxury tax.
WHO'S LEFT:
C-Thomas Bryant, Anzejs Pasecniks
PF-Rui Hachimura, Mo Wagner
SF-Isaac Bonga, Troy Brown, Admiral Schofield
SG-Bradley Beal, Jerome Robinson
PG-John Wall, Ish Smith
Aside from point guard, the Wizards are a very young basketball team heading into the 2020-21 season, so they have a lot of upside. They have the ninth and 39th selections at this moment, but in a weak draft class it is unlikely that the Wizards will get much from those picks. Still, the trio of Bryant, Hachimura and Wagner are good enough to build around up front, and at this moment the back court is still the strength of this team. They need more wing help, and probably better John Wall insurance than Ish Smith. Re-signing Shabazz Napier won't cut it either, they need something better.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Wizards are solid offensively, but are among the worst teams in basketball defensively in nearly every category. I wouldn't count on Wall's return too much either, since being gone for that long will likely make him a middle-of-the-pack point guard instead of one of the league's best. The best move the Wizards can make right now, unless they find a way for someone to take on the absurd contract of John Wall, is to package him with Bradley Beal and start a rebuild. That's the best move they can make here.
They do have a couple of decent things to build around assuming they trade Beal. They likely will get a solid asset, but not a great one since they will likely get rid of Wall too. The trio of big men is solid. Troy Brown and Jerome Robinson have potential. They also have a lottery selection. As far as being serious threats in the East goes, however, I find it unlikely for the Wizards until Beal and Wall are off the books following 2023, unless magic happens. This is a lot like the Hornets with Kemba Walker, meaning it's not impossible to make the postseason, but it will likely be hard to win a series if they do somehow make it.
